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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779852">Magic in the Air</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleeting_fantasy/pseuds/akirakurusuimagines'>akirakurusuimagines (fleeting_fantasy)</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleeting_fantasy/pseuds/fleeting_fantasy'>fleeting_fantasy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>P5 AU Week 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>2nd person POV, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Powerful Magic, indebted - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:00:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,911</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779852</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleeting_fantasy/pseuds/akirakurusuimagines, https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleeting_fantasy/pseuds/fleeting_fantasy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>P5 AU Day 3: Fantasy AU</p><p>Swearing vengeance for the accident that incapacitated your friends, you set out for the small shop tucked away in the nook of the alleyway, where it's said a dark mage resides. No matter what, you'd get what they deserved.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amamiya Ren/Reader, Joker/Reader, Kurusu Akira/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>P5 AU Week 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710292</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Magic in the Air</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How <em>dare </em>you.”</p><p>Akira looked up from his latest book, slightly surprised to see you barge into his quaint shop in one of the city’s many dark alleyways, fuming so much he almost thought you would burst into flames. He pushed up his glasses, the large rims hiding his eyes. “Excuse me?”</p><p>He watched as you stormed up to him, slamming your hands down on the counter top scattered with trinkets and used mugs he was resting his feet on. Akira just barely caught his fresh cup of coffee before it spilled, making sure it settled down before it ruined any important documents he had scattered around. </p><p>“A couple days ago, <em>you </em>sold some students a set of faulty potions!” You leaned in towards the dark mage, though his face was slightly hidden from his large hat, you held the sneer on your face while your relentless rage boiled over. “They had to be admitted to the medical ward because of it!”</p><p>Akira’s eyebrows furrowed at the news, his lips pursed in a thin line as he attempted to recall such students. <em>Ah, that’s right. </em>He recognized that uniform of yours. It was one of several schools of magic that occupied the town. He couldn’t say he was surprised by that outcome, but the potions weren’t the ones to blame. “None of my wares are faulty,” Akira explained with a cool tone, “your friends must’ve mishandled it. Therefore I have nothing to do with it.” </p><p>You weren’t going to just accept that, of course. They were your friends, after all, and you wanted answers and compensation. “You can’t guarantee that!” you argued, “They told me you sold them a love potion—” </p><p>“I don’t make love potions,” Akira corrected you, taking a sip of his coffee. This was tiring him already; he only wished to continue reading the text he bought. “They came to me in search of a way to cheat on their exam. I told them the consequences of doing so, and clearly they didn’t listen.” </p><p>“What?”</p><p>Akira sighed and pulled his hat off, tossing it aside, yet somehow landing it perfectly on the hook that hung from the wall. Simple magic. He pulled his legs off of the table and adjusted himself so his elbows rested on the counter and his chin rested on his knuckles. “It’s admirable that you trust your friends so much, but you should still do some of your own research before you come barging into someone’s shop, accusing them of something they didn’t do. Luckily, I didn’t have any customers. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have been pretty. Do you understand?” </p><p>You gawked at the mage, baffled at his bold words, staring at him for several silent moments. You hadn’t noticed before, but he was just around your age— there was no doubt about it— and yet he’s already become a clearly powerful mage with his own shop in a very prominent city, despite the stigma against those of his dominion. Not to mention he was attractive, but you’d never let yourself be caught saying that to him. Clearing your throat, you attempted to regain your bearings. “It was your fault for selling them something that you knew would backfire on them! They deserve a refund!” </p><p>He had the audacity to chuckle at your desperate attempt to not look like a complete fool. He gestured to the small sign next to himself, detailing the conditions about purchasing from his shop. “No refunds, especially because you aren’t them. You have no proof that they sent you here to collect a refund, and if you somehow did get legal documentation, I still wouldn’t provide you with a refund on the count that they <em>did </em>misuse my magic. I had warned them explicitly before they purchased it, so they have no one but themselves to blame.”</p><p>“Even so—!” </p><p>“Please leave, my answer will not change, and I’d like to get back to reading,” he held his gentle tone, but the glare from behind his glasses sent a shiver down your spine. He didn’t want to use magic or brute force against you to make you leave, but he will if he deems it necessary. </p><p>“Oh no, we’re not done here!” you argued, still upset that he took advantage of your friends in such a manner. You didn’t exactly know you were going to say, the way he continuously maneuvered around your words was only making you more and more upset, and yet, you lunged over and gripped the mage by the collar of his cloak, yanking him a little too close. </p><p>The words that flew from your lips were ones you didn’t even recognize, flying too fast for you to notice, too overcome by your emotions to notice the panicked look on the mage’s face as your inexperienced abilities spiraled out of control. Your eyes shifted into a shimmering marigold, barely paying attention to the words that left the dark mage as his glasses flew off his face and hair was tossed every which way, a hefty storm brewing within the walls of his shop.</p><p>Akira hadn’t recognized the signs until it was too late, realizing that he should’ve known that a student of magic wouldn’t be able to control it when under extreme emotional turmoil, yet he’s never seen unhinged magic from a student be this powerful before. He winced as he heard glass shatter and books fly from their shelves, his neat, though curious shop becoming ruined from your magic. It took him a second to remember the proper counteraction, his hands being frozen in place by the same winds that deafened his ears, yet he still managed to bellow his words out loudly enough to stop your incantations, silencing you and watching as the marigold faded from your eyes, leaving your normal eye color in its place. </p><p>You stumbled back, letting go of Akira’s coat and falling on your ass, body trembling with exhaustion and eyes wide with horror as you realized what you had done. “I—” you began, one of your hands coming to cover your mouth as the reality of the situation set in, looking around the now-miserable shop, dread filling every pore in your body. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t… I didn’t…” You began to apologize over and over, feeling terrible for what you had done, even if it was unintentional. This has never happened before, you don’t know why it did now, but any sane person would call the police on you— </p><p>“Relax,” he was suddenly in front of you, taking one of your hands, frowning as he turned your palm to face up, seeing blood trickle down your arm. You were numb, you had no idea you had gotten cut, though considering you were essentially sitting on a pile of glass, it was to be expected. “I’m not going to report you or anything.” </p><p>You stared up at the mage in disbelief. Frankly, you thought he would do anything to get you out of his hair. “Why?” </p><p>“Because you’re still a student. You clearly didn’t mean to. You came to me because you were worried and angry over what happened to your friends,” he explained, focused on healing the wound on your hand. His leather-covered fingers grazed over the cut, the crimson blending in with your blood, seemingly absorbing it, leaving nothing but light pink skin where the cut once was. </p><p>“But… I…” </p><p>He looked up and offered you a smile. You only noticed then how gorgeous his eyes were, but this was no time for you to admire him. “If it makes you feel better, I have no intentions of letting you disappear now that my shop is in shambles,” he watched as you turned your face away, ashamed, “You’ll work here part time until you can pay off everything that you’ve damaged. In exchange, I’ll also give you some sparse lessons. I’ve never seen anything like your magic before.” </p><p>You, frankly, couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Was he insane? Were all dark mages this forgiving? Still, it was a relief to hear that you wouldn’t be punished extremely for this. You could manage a part time job, besides, how long would you need to stay there for anyways? A month at most, probably. “Alright…” </p><p>Akira stood up and offered you his hand, feeling much warmer than he had when you first oh so rudely burst into his shop. After a moment of hesitation, you took it, feeling a rush of energy from him as he sealed the agreement between the two of you while pulling you up onto your feel. </p><p>You were mesmerized at the chain that slowly tattooed itself onto your wrist. It wasn’t painful in any way, leaving only warmth in its wake. “What is this?” </p><p>“A physical memento of our deal,” he explained, “that way you won’t skimp out on me.” </p><p>You scoffed at him, though you were very grateful for the way he made you feel better, despite you ruining much of his work. “Fine, fine… but can I at least have your name, since I’ll be working for you?” </p><p>“Just call me Akira. Or— you could call me master, whatever suits you,” the cheeky mage said with a wink as he made his way into behind the counter once more, picking up an old-fashioned broom and tossing it over to you. </p><p>You stumbled for a second before catching it completely in your arms, staring at him quizzically. You expected him to wave his hands around and restore everything to its former glory, considering how versatile his magic seemed to be, but clearly he had other plans. He hadn’t even asked for your name before he started to put you to work! “By the way, my name is—” </p><p>“I don’t need it,” he cut you off. “You’re my apprentice now, so it’s only natural that I should call you that.” Akira cleaned off his seat and sat down in it, looking at you with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You should start cleaning before it starts getting dark,” he mused, looking at his now-cold coffee before frowning for a moment, seeing a shard of glass floating on the surface. It was easily remedied with a snap of his fingers, getting comfortable in his chair with his book once more, with a fresh cup of magically-brewed coffee. </p><p>Gripping onto the broom tightly, you were astonished, but couldn’t raise your voice against it, slightly fearing a second wave of your fury would erupt. Might take some time to get over that, regardless of how comfortable your new boss was trying to make you. “You’re cruel,” you grumbled under your breath, stealing one more glance at him before getting to work, sweeping up the glass that surrounded your feet and glistened in the candlelight of the shop.</p><p>When he was certain you weren’t paying any attention to him, Akira slumped in his chair, a sigh passing through his lips. He wasn’t expecting something like this to occur, and yet… there was something about you that intrigued him. So passionate, full of life and magic, he wondered where your journey would take you, especially if you managed to cross paths with someone cursed like him. His lips curled into a slight smile as he returned his attention to his book, turning the page and happening upon the chapter labeled <em>Love Potions, Relationship Hexes, and More</em> while you silently swept away. This would be an interesting experience indeed. </p>
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